Reversing screw-and-nut gearing.



F. H.RAGAN. BEVERSING SCREW AND NUT GEARING. APPLlcAnoN FILED ocT.`13.'1913. RENEwEn MAY 2351918.

Patented Aug. 27, 191.8;

E D l i; f' s Z ,E JV Y wontarien 1 eran-as r canton FREDERICK HATHA'WAYRAGAN, 0F SEATTLE, WNASHINGTON.

REVERSINS: SCREW-AND-NUT GEA-RNG.

i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2?, i918.

Application filed October 13, 191.3,- Seria'o. 795,012. Renewed May 23,1918. Serial No. 235,233..

.machinefused in the manufacture of lumber,

which means will be under the complete coutrol of the operator, theaction employed in `the operation of my power device being identicalwith that employed in the operation of the vpresent hand device. `By theintroduction of my invention physical force heretofore relied. upon tooperate the saw shifter is displaced, `therefore increasing the capacityof the mill, and at the same time insuring perfect accuracy.

Having thus indicated the ends sought by me my invention consists in theconstruction and combination of parts to be more ,fully describedhereafter and particularly set forth in the claims'. Reference-.is to behad to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification. inwhichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts inallthe figures.

Figure l 1s a perspective view of a standard edging machine with myinvention embodied therein.

Fig. 2 is va longitudinal sectional view vof my power operating device;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of Fig. 2 cut along the line 2 2, showing theoperating vdevice engaging the handle lof the saw shifter of the edgingmachine.

As shown in thev drawings the rotary saw X Fig. l is moved along theshaft Z by force applied to the operating handle N, which isfraised tounmesh from -a ratch unvder the scale YS, vwhich holds the saw intheposition desired. v

It is to be observed that by pulling the lever N, in eitherdirection,fguided by the iigured scale S, any width of lumber prede? ctermined may be cut. y The feed'rollsR and fR revolving in the oppositedirection feed- 255 the lumber against the saw X of which there areusually from nve to eight in number. l have shown but one in thedrawings for convenience in description. rlhe rolls R and R are raisedand lowered by air action in the 4cylinders C-and C to accommodatedifferent thicknesses.

.My invention consists of two screw gears, B and B F ig.' l and Fig. 2running the full length of the machine. To the front of each shifter Ihave bolted or otherwisefastened a small metal case A Fig. 1 throughwhich the screw-gears pass. These screw gears are connected with anextension of the lower feed roll shaft by ordinary cog gears G, andsogeared together that the screws turn in the opposite direction. It isto be understood that power may be applied to these gears in any waydesired, the one essential being that they turn in theoppositedirections if thethreadings run in the same way.y

. I 'IlClOSed within the `meta-l case A Fig'.2.

are two round metal nuts M and M made of any suitable material. 'l Inmyvdrawingsthey are illustrated as having shoulders on each. sideextending through the side of the case A to Aadmit of more thread'.,bearing "than would be possible in a plain nut.

These nuts and M ordinarily run free, aS they are snugly iitted to thescrewsB and B and revolve with them and in .opposite 4 directions toeach other. The ball `bearings .D and D as shown in Fig. 3 are designedto reduce friction with the'sides'- of the case A during this freemotion. i

The case A is bolted or otherwise attached to the front ofthe shifter Oas shown in Fig. 1. Extending through lthe upper face of said caseA is aforked yoke Y adapted to Y n permit the shifter handle N to resttherein. In place of the ordinary ridged handle such as is used inrunning the machine by hand I have substituted one which is pivoted at P.pressure is broughtfto bearupon the yoke Y. y If the pressure ,isexerted to the right of the yoke Y, a lifting movement is imparted tothe communicating arms E and E, thereby bringing the wedges W and Wwhich are attached thereto, into Contact with the nut M' which isrunning free with the screw B whiclris turning in the direction thelever has been previously tilted.

According to the amount of pressure eX-` erted by the operator, thesevwedges will either fent-irely stop the free rotary motion of the nutwhich is turning with the screw or merely slow it up. Vhen the motion ofthe nut is retarded or stopped the screw will immediately begin tovworkthrough it, thereby carrying the case A along with it and likewise theshifter and saw to which the case is attached. The action is simplyreversed by 'moving the handle N in the opposite direction, whichreleases the pressure exerted by the wedges upon the nut and thev nutresumes its free motion with the screw as before. The wedges haveresumed their v mutual position between-the nuts M and `M until the tiltof the handle N in the opposite direction lowers the arms E and E andthereby retards or stops the nut on the screw B by the pressurecommunicated toit by the wedge as aforesaid described. y

The bottom sciew B is threaded the same way, but turning in theopposit-e direction from the screw B carrying the case A and shifter inthe opposite direction.

The screws are run in suoli direction .that a pull to the right on theshifter handle N will move the case and the shifter to the right andvice versa.v When one nut is wedged and is pulling the shifter in thedirection the thread of the screw is revolving, th'el other nut ispulling against the thread of the screw. thus picking up' an extra turnevery three or four inches of the thread.

It will be observed that by placing a. spring on either side of theforked yoke Y Fig. 2 preferably'. on top of the case A the wedges 1V andif will be automatically centered between the nuts when the handle N isreleased. It is to be understopd that the wedges are made of anysuitable inaterial preferably covered with a removable layer of frictionmaterial. The nuts likewise may be covered v'with a-layer of frictionmaterial.

The set screws H Fig. 3 Vas shown are accessible fromthc exterior ofcase A, and can be employed in adjusting the friction surfaces tocorrect any lossv of motion by reason of wear.

As can bc readily seen the satisfactory action of the apparatus, willdepend largely upon the nuts immediately resuming their rotary motionafter being freed from the wedges. In event hard usage and wear shouldrender the nuts too loose to act upon 4I claim is new and the screw sothat* adhesion between the screw and nut would not immediately overcomethe friction between the side of the nut and the case A, small steelbars or a lug set into thenut from the peripheral surface and bearingupon the thread of the screw actuated by a spring an'd adjusted by asocket set screw will insure at all times the immediate rotary motionbeing resumed by the nut upon the releasing of the wedges.

The nuts may be turned with either a con- Y Athe shifter in positionafter being shut off.

from the friction wedges or other friction appliances. l

The friction element employed b'y my. in-

vention is one of the main features, since quarter inch and one-halfinch sizes are marked on the scale and used continuously.

It is believed that no other method of op-.'

erating the saws by power can be made delicate enough to allow stoppingwhenever and wherever desired, and at the same time giving enough powerwhen wanted to move the saws speedily over long distances.

The machine is simple and economical in construction, it is capable ofincreasing the capacity of'themill as it is awell known fact there hasnot been perfected a power operating device that has withstood -thecrucial test of accuracy an element which cannot be sacrificed, hencethecontinual use of physical power to operate the saw shifter in allup-to-date mills where modern inventions have supplanted the old methodsin other departments.'

Having thus described my invention,.what j desire to protect by LettersPatent is;

'1. -A device of the class described coinprisiiig in combination, screwgears adapted to be continuously rotated, nutsfreely carried by saidscrew gears, oppositely located friction members disposed intermediatesaid nuts and adapted to bear. there against,- leverage means connectingsaid friction members, a casing disposed aroundsaid nuts and serving asa support for said leverage means, a handle adapted to engage saidleverage means whereby pressure applied to said handle will betransmitted through said leverage means to one of said friction membersthereby causing said member to frictionally engage one of said nuts andarrest its fiee rotative movement with said screw 'raffaele gear therebylongitudinally shifting said handle in the direction in vwhich pressureis applied.

2. A device of the class described ,corn-V prising in combination, apair 'of screw gears adapted Ato be continuously rotated, cylindricalnuts carried by said. screw gearsand `adapted to revolve'freelytherewith, oppositely located friction members disposed intermediatesaid cylindrical nuts, a easing disposed around said friction'members.and

"serving as a support for the same, a lever,Y links operativelyconnected to said friction members and having pivot connection withsaid-lever, said lever being' pivoted to said casing and having anupwardly projecting arm, a -lever vhaving a handle adapted to havecontact with said arm, and meanswhereby said last named lever may retainsaid friction members in a neutral position outof contact. with saidcylindrical nuts.

3. A device of the class described coniprising in combination, a pair ofscrew gears adapted to be continuously rotated, cylindrical nuts, freelycarried thereby, said` screws passing through said nuts, i oppositelylocated vertical friction wedges having convergently inclined facesintermediate saidv nuts, a casing disposed around said .fricarm, alever'having a handle adapted to be repos'ed in saidv U shaped arm, saidcasing being provided with a notch in the plane of said U shaped armwhereby the handle of said 'last named lever may retain said frictionwedges in a neutral position out of contact with said cylindrical nuts.

Si ned by me at Seattle, Washington, this 4th ay of October, 1913.

FREDERICK Hiriiiwir RAGAN.

.Vitnesses RUTH P. RAGAN, ROY VAN MAREN.

